Monday, February 12, 2018

“Stella Gardner” by Ratnang Singh – A Song Review

“Stella Gardner” is a gentle character portrait of a person damaged by a past relationship. “She likes the quiet, but the loneliness kills her.”

Arguably, the initial four minutes of the single from Ratnang Singh qualify as a ditty – a short, uncomplicated song. But there is a carefully considered elegance in the simplicity of those four minutes. The periodic addition of higher-octave "backing" vocals is the most impactful of the elegant features. It first occurs in a single line of the second verse, with the statement “With spears and knives she got pierced all over.” The harmonization only happens three brief times, but the song would not be as stirring without it. We are also fans of the guitar layering.

The final minute of “Stella Gardner” is an instrumental force that destroys any thought of the song being a ditty. Ratnang Singh explained, “Stella Gardner” talks about a character who “lost in love but does not lose hope, at the end is where the story begins.” Thus, the song is about hope. The video reinforces this message with its change in interpretive dance (the video is embedded below).

The song is the first from an upcoming album titled “The War.” Quoting Ratnang Singh, who is a singer/songwriter based in New Delhi, India:

"This album that I have been working on, 'The War,' has 7 songs dealing with pain, talking about growing up, telling stories and finding comfort in between it all. It’s a dream to put out a project and it is hard, hard work to make the songs fit so that there is consistency in what you’re telling your audience and consistency in the way it sounds. It’s way more challenging than releasing just one song. It’s a mood, a theme and you can’t be all over the place. The songs must be chosen carefully. It is extremely important for song writers to find that producer who will pay attention to what you have to say and will arrange the songs for you by understanding that. It’s not easy, after all someone else is going to interpret your work and put his spin on it, it’s crucial to be on the same page."